


Do Vampires Have Reflections?

by juiceboxjellyfish



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Carry On Countdown (Simon Snow), Carry On Countdown 2019, Prompt: Reflection, Simon is a moron, Watford (Simon Snow)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:01:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21851839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juiceboxjellyfish/pseuds/juiceboxjellyfish
Summary: Simon has a great new plan to prove that Baz is a vampire.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40
Collections: Carry On Countdown 2019





	Do Vampires Have Reflections?

SIMON

“Is it true that vampires don’t show up in mirrors?”, I ask. Penny looks a bit confused (probably because she was talking about something that had nothing to do with vampires just fifteen seconds ago) but gives up on finishing our previous conversation. 

“I don’t know. I’ve never met one.”

I glare at her.

“Fine. I’ve never met a confirmed one”, she corrects herself. 

“It’s practically confirmed! How else would you explain the rats?”

“I believe you, Simon. I’m just saying it’s not confirmed.” 

I frown.

“Well, you don’t have to have met a vampire to know wether or not they show up in mirrors. Aren’t you supposed to be smart?”

“I am smart. But that doesn’t mean I know a bunch of useless trivia about vampires off the top of my head. Unlike you, I’m not that obsessed with them.”

“I’m not obsessed with vampires”, I say defensively.

“You’re obsessed with at least one vampire”, she retorts. I roll my eyes. 

“Anyway”, I say “if vampires don't show up in mirrors, it’ll be super easy to confirm that Baz is one! I just have to get him in front of a mirror and check of there’s a reflection! I can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier!”

“Sure, Simon.”

And so, it starts. My first attempt is simple – I leave the bathroom door ajar when brushing my teeth, hoping Baz will enter or walk past. He does not. (Which shouldn't really be a surprise, it’s not like we’ve ever brushed our teeth together before.) I try a few times, but he never even walks by the open door. I have to upgrade my methods.

My second attempt is the most obvious option – catching him in the bathroom. This proves to be surprisingly difficult. I have to either time my entrance correctly or walk in and stand by the sinks waiting until he comes out of his stall, which is definitely suspicious behaviour. You can only follow someone into the bathroom so many times before it becomes obvious you’re up to something. Unfortunately, my first attempt fails. I burst into the bathroom after waiting outside for the sound of a flush, ready to triumphantly exclaim “aha!” only to be met by some sixth year I’ve spoken to maybe once. He flinches at my entrance, taking an involuntary step backwards. I back out without saying anything, only to realise a minute later that that probably made my actions seem even stranger. 

I try again two days later, but this time I enter too late. Baz is just about to open the door when I do, startling us both. Since I don’t want to just back out of the bathroom again, I go in there and wait until I can’t hear his footsteps anymore. This really shouldn't be this hard. 

After my third attempt also fails (Baz hears me cough while I’m waiting for him to leave the stall and says “Snow, did you follow me to the bathroom _again?_ ”) I decide to move on to other tactics.

Maybe it’s time to get a bit more obvious. If it works, there’s no point in being secretive about it anyway, right? I take the bathroom mirror and hang it on the wall beside my bed.

Baz is out late. It’s already completely dark outside and I’ve been sitting on my bed, staring at the mirror, waiting for him to walk through the door for hours. Part of me wants to sneak out and go looking for him. He’s almost certainly doing vampire stuff right now and here I am, impatiently waiting for him while staring at a mirror. It’s starting to feel dumb, this plan. What if it’s not even true? He must be able to see himself _somehow_ , his hair is always perfect. I stare at my own reflection, pretending I’m looking at someone else. A boy, sitting in a dark room, staring at a mirror. He looks so tired. He can barely keep his eyes open and yet he refuses to lie down and rest. He’s just staring at the mirror, waiting. Penny was right, I am obsessed. How long has it even been? I don’t know what time it is. Still no sign of Baz.

I wake up to an aching back. I’ve slid down the wall and am mostly but not entirely lying on the bed, and my back is uncomfortably bent. The room is empty and full of sunlight, and the mirror is no longer on the wall. I find it, unsurprisingly, in the bathroom. Baz must’ve put it back. The shower smells of his shampoo. When did he come back? How did I sleep through it? Should I give up on the whole plan?

Not yet. One more try.

All these tactics involve a lot of waiting (or as Penny would put it, they waste a lot of time) but this time I’m gonna get him. Or at least stay awake. I’m sitting at the desk with a handheld mirror next to me. (Borrowed it from Agatha once I realised it would be way more convenient. She thinks the plan is dumb, but she still let me borrow it.) This waiting is a lot less tedious, since I’m actually doing something while I wait. With the handheld mirror, I don’t have to be as prepared. I really should’ve thought of it earlier.

I hear the door open and immediately leap out of my chair, mirror in hand. I hold it up to a very confused Baz like it’s a weapon and yell “hah!”. Once his initial shock and confusion passes, he stares at me like I’ve gone mad.

“Might I ask what you’re trying to accomplish here?”, he asks.

“Proving you’re a vampire!”, I exclaim. “How are you gonna get out of this one, huh?” Baz is still looking at me, his expression completely unreadable. 

“Okay”, he says. “Would you mind moving to my side of the mirror and telling me what you see in it?” 

Oh, right. I got so excited I forgot to actually check. Still holding the mirror up to Baz’s face, I shuffle over to his side and look into it. Like his tone suggested, Baz’s face is fully visible. 

“Now I don’t know about vampires, but I definitely have a reflection”, he says.

“Fuck”, I state. “You do indeed.”

I should listen to Penny more.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! We're getting close now, I might actually be able to complete the whole countdown!  
> In case you didn't already know, some of my entries are art which I post to my tumblr, helloiamace! Go check them out!
> 
> Please leave a comment if you liked the fic, as they are guaranteed to improve my day!


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